“Journey to Justice”: important new resource for SRLs (and their lawyer coaches)

“Journey to Justice”: important new resource for SRLs (and their lawyer coaches)

We are delighted to recommend a new book written by SRL coach, lawyer Denice Barrie (www.waymarklaw.ca) from Gabriola Island, B.C. Titled “Journey to Justice: A Practical Guide to Effectively Representing Yourself in Court”, Denice’s book is packed with practical ideas, to-do checklists, and supportive tips that draw on her extensive experience in legal practice and of working with self-represented litigants.

“Journey to Justice” is organized in six sections that walk a SRL through the process of bringing their legal matter to court. The six steps are: Collect – Organize – Co-ordinate – Strategize – Prepare – Present. Written in clear and straightforward prose with many examples, sample questions and materials, and with the text broken up by excellent graphics throughout (including some cartoons), “Journey to Justice” speaks directly to SRLs.

Barrie’s book does not sugarcoat the challenges of self-representation, but accepts their reality in a way that will be music to the ears of many SRLs. Its one deficiency is its somewhat slight treatment of settlement and negotiation strategies, but to be fair, the focus here is on the “how-to’s” of the litigation process. Read alongside NSRLP’s “Settlement Smarts for SRLs” (which can be downloaded for free), the books are a perfect pairing.

You can order “Journey to Justice” through Amazon (that’s www.amazon.com – note that the book is presently not available on Amazon.ca but is coming soon) for $19.95. Watch Denice being interviewed about her book here.

Newsflash: Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin has written to Denice congratulating her on her new book and commenting that “The more litigants understand about the trial process, the closer we come to access to justice”.